Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1887-10-20
MOST NORTHERN TOWN.
ODD WAYS or LIFE IN NoRWAY's
REMOTEST VILLAGE.

Under tho Midnight Sun-A Place Where .
the Only Grass That Grows Is Found
"n the Horisetops--A Drunken Lap.
laHder.
There is in mailing letter at the northern.
most town in the world sentimental feeling
of satisfaction which has nothing to do with
sire that it shall arrive sooner at its dcsti,
nation. This epiStle will accompany mo on
the eight LAY journey south, and might
write it ut nny time during tho voyage, hut !
shall take it ashore this morning and shall
hope that the Ilammerfest post,,fIlre authori-
ties will find time to stamp it with their own
VostInark. To do this it will be necessary for
them to bc awake. l remember that when
was last in lIanlmerfest, at . o'clock yestcr-
day morning, not soul was stirring in the
place" The long arctic day had tired thcin
out, and they slept late. I myself was tired,
for ! had remained up until to see the
scenery of tho coast; but when the ship
dropped anchor in the harbor an admirable
curiosity had urged nye to secure q solitary
batman. who rowcd ne ashore for the sum
Of two and ~ half cents.
As I walked along tho main street found
myself end"avoring to fasten Oh my mind the
features OF llammcrfest by comparison
with Tromsoe, the other city Of this Ultima
Thule, where / had passed the day before.
Trom>oc wns n cheerful place, lying OIL the
slopes OF green, hilly island by the blue
satrrs OF long sound. Even within tho
arctic circle it was very bot day; there was
u luxurious growth OF dwarf birches md
wild cherry trees, and at the end OF every
lane there was the background of green hill
side to be seen, from which the grass seemed
to run down all over the place, covering tho
doorsteps and the walks.
Had it not also been sunny at Hamrnerfcst
l should have been ready to shiver. Tho
town seemed to be a band Of little wooden
houses built in II long half circle found tho
larl,or under wall Of cliffs from which
many stones had fallen II the grass was
everywhere at Tromsoc, the rocks were every
where at Hammerfcst, for l was made con-
srious OF them at every turn. When the sun
presently went under n cloud and it grew
chilly, | wns reminded whenever | looked
that was standing under the cold and frown-
ing brow of a precipice. Hammerfeet, was
told, had II West End, where the finest houses
and the hotel were, and l proceedrd thithcr
nlnn. tho middle of the silent street. On
either si,lo ran rows OF houses on u raised
bank; in front OF them was n narrow side
walk to which one might ascend by occasional
flights OF steps; but the stones OF the walk
were Jagged and dangerous, and the litth
square windows were too jealously high in
any case for u plsser-by to look in. Among
the many white painted signs hoped to have
found at least one "Bageri' open, where |
might get some v,tfee and bread, but in vain;
there was not soul in Hammerfcst awake.
pinned my faith on that hotel in the West
End OF which | had heard, and went further.
have never been in place so forbidding
and destitute OF soil for veIdure rs this. The
only grnS, grew on the hOusetops, forced by
thu warmer air from beneath.
Taking n turn, however, to the left I ar
rived at III" thcntrc-a low, wooden building,
forty feet long, where performances were to
De given once u week in the SEASON" So n
notice read Behind the theatre there was nn
c1pn,,- Of swnrd strewn with blocks Of
s.ono, close under tho cliff Part OF it was
u>"l rs n cemetery overlooking the cold
Arctic -r,. part was pasture ground for
C..'>" nin. goats. AS | stool there gazing the
s.lrnc" was broken by hoarse croak, and
perceived hopping about upon housctop,
nni in and out Of n chimney. where he pre-
sunahly kept Il hoard, II large Norwegian
crow with black back and gray breast and
legs, like u respectable gentleman in black
coat and s,nalh On the same roof little
Kill was eagerly pasturnS. In the road at
my ftS't one Of the fox like, sharp cared rein
dr'r dogs of tho Lapps WAS gnawinS bone.
After IL half mile walk | arrived in the
West End. where | observed that no grass
grew ON the yoofs OF the houses. org palace,
indeed, had two rows OF seven high windows
ON ITS side and two windows nt its end The
mayor of lInm,n-rfcst must, fancy, lave
resided here: Opposite to me was II place OF
greater interest, tho "Hotcl Of tho North
Pole" its door was open, and hunger COM
,,r,l me boldly to intrude myself upon its
sleeping inmates. In room on tho right,
hun, with furs nn'l Lapp costumes for sale,
ga II large he'd lay II cat surrounded by five
blind kittens newly born On another door
read "Spi>,>tuc,' which took to mean eat
ing ROOM lu an apartment beyond this l
found tho landlord and landady AMI four
children in all stages OF undress. They gave
ne som" very good coffee, and they advised
nc in broken English to return to the boat
stage 10y new way along the whnrves, where
l might the ships. Tho ships were mostly
Nussan, from Archangel and tho White Sea,
nni experienced IL strange sensation OF re-
mot"ncsS when l found that l was unable
even t, read the letters Of their names.
GA the counter OF IL diminutive bookshop
where stopped to buy some stamps was us
t,,ni,h,d to see Il book entitled Fra CiviliSa-
,iouens Ovyr'lrev, af Mark Twain l took
this to mean "From excess of civiliAtton,'
and ns | lrft tho shop was r,IckinS my brain
to imagine what book this could be, when l
made IN acquaintance whose condition e1-
pluincd to ne that the book was certainly an
unhcnr,l OF tnr, by the humorist, distributed
about Iianmrrfrst In the interest OF tho tenn
p.rancc cause. Civilization had led my friend
into excess of "linkcl' and lie wts drunk; but
uulil. n Russian, he was good natured, for lie
was :. I.app. one OF that olitlnnish race Of
nonl.l dwarf, whose figures give such strange
Rnl marked character to the street corners
of Iun,mrrir,t and Tromsoe i'll the summer
time, when they come down from the noun
tans to fish lie was very friendly, and
gave hin. cigarette, which ho was unable to
manage until | showed him how it was to be
lit and smoked. He pulled AWAY with de-
l.htful grin upon his wien ape like face un-
til iinin. that it disappeared very fast and
that it was not ms strong as his pipe, he threw
the ri:,nrr,t" on the ground and, lighting his
pipe, staggered OFF along the wharf. lie had,
like other l.apps, II MonGoan cast of feat
urcs, with small almond shaped eyes and high
angular cln"k bones; and these, with his bow
legs, made his appearance suggestive OF two
,rianglrs, ono above the other. l1e wore
thick, heavy pointed shoes OF leather and col
orrd band, of wor>ted about his ankles, and
black greasy ksgings of whale skin fitted his
lnl,s ls tightly as il they were his own hide.
lie had great cont of reindeer skin with tho
fur half worn away and girded III at the
waist with many c,lorei beaded belt, from